Two prominent House lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle are teaming up to push for greater transparency on the gifts or perks that representatives of the federal government receive from foreign entities.
Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Jared Golden, D-Maine., introduced the Gift, Accountability, Reporting, and Disclosures (GARD) Act late last week, aimed at strengthening the government’s guardrails against foreign influence.
The bill would vastly expand the definition of a ‘foreign’ gift, while imposing heightened requirements on what kind of details must be disclosed and when.
Federal employees who file reports more than 30 days after a foreign gift is received would be slapped with a $200 fine. Golden and Donalds’ collaboration on the issue is notable in today’s hyper-partisan climate.
Federal employees, the president, the vice president, members of Congress, other officials and their families are generally expected to report foreign gifts that amount to $480 or more – though that baseline can be lower for certain government entities.
The State Department’s chief of protocol, a politically appointed role, is tasked with gathering such information and issuing a report due 11 days after a presidential term has ended. There is also currently no deadline for that data to be made public in the Federal Register, which has been amended with Donalds and Golden’s new bill.
The GARD Act would mandate the State Department to publish its foreign gift list within 30 days of receiving the information. The designation of ‘foreign’ would also grow to include non-U.S. businesses and nonprofits. It also would standardize reporting of foreign gifts given to adult children and relatives of government officials at a $480 baseline.
Additionally, instead of a political appointee at the State Department gathering the information, that would now be taken on by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
Both Republicans and Democrats have accused recent party leaders and families of enriching themselves on foreign business.
It is not immediately clear if House GOP leaders have shown interest in the bill, but it comes amid talks of both of its leaders potentially seeking higher office.
Donalds announced earlier this year that he is running for governor of Florida, and he is endorsed by President Donald Trump for the role.
Meanwhile, the Portland Press Herald held up Golden – a moderate Democrat who represents a district Trump won in 2020 and 2024 – as a potential candidate for governor in Maine.
